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Credit Unions Needing Help Due to Hurricane Ida are Encouraged to Contact CU*SOUTH as a Resource

8/30/21 – Fairhope, Alabama – As a CUSO dedicated to growing credit unions in their communities, CU*SOUTH announces its Hurricane Ida Assistance Program. Any credit union that finds itself without sufficient office space, staffing, power, or IT support, is encouraged to reach out to CU*SOUTH for support.

“In over 38 years on the Gulf Coast, we’ve seen our share of hurricanes; as each one passes through, we learn our lessons and begin to prepare for the next one,” says CEO Leo Vaulin. “Our Event Response Team is activated as soon as there’s a threat of landfall anywhere along the Gulf or East Coast. Smaller credit unions tend to be the most vulnerable; but we’ve seen billion-dollar credit unions impacted as well.”

“Our first priority is to make sure that our core clients are provided for,” says COO Derrick Smith. “Between hurricanes and COVID, we’ve learned to distribute our resources – we have team members from Virginia to Washington ready to offer support. We provide office space, call center support for member service, back office support to make sure that ACH and draft items are posted, and IT support to replace damaged equipment, or re-route communications when primary channels fail.”

“With our core clients taken care of, we reach out to the community,” notes Mr. Vaulin. “We work with leagues and chapters – there’s always credit unions that need a helping hand. After Katrina, we hosted credit unions from along the Gulf Coast that had lost their offices, some for several months. After Hurricane Irma devasted the Virgin Islands in September 2017, CU*SOUTH provided all member services for St. Thomas FCU until power and internet were restored in January 2018. Once the credit union reopened, they became the leading force for economic recovery on the island.”

Any credit union needing a helping hand is welcome to contact CU*SOUTH. The CUSO emphasizes that credit unions don’t need to be current clients of the service provider – the CUSO wants to offer their support to any credit union in need.

Should your credit union need assistance around Hurricane Ida, please contact CU*SOUTH at 800-293-7554 or emailing support@cusouth.com